Much has been talked in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But can the internet version of this traditional game offer a escape, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban across United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where people like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet can never replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no option.